The Boarding School
by DeadMissMarni
Summary: How would the story turn out if the genders of the main characters were reversed... and at boarding school? Story covers all songs on the soundtrack, including ‘there once was a pirate’. Rating may change in later chapters. My first S.A fic.
1. Mama who bore me part 1

Title: The Boarding School

Summary: How would the story turn out if the genders of the main characters were reversed... and at boarding school? Story covers all songs on the OBC soundtrack, including 'there once was a pirate'. First time writing a Spring Awakening fic, but I am open to criticism.

Disclaimer: I tried to sell my soul to own Spring Awakening, but my plan failed when I realised that I had already sold it for a donut. Therefore: Spring Awakening is not mine.

**Chapter 1: Mama who bore me part 1  
**

Everything was set. His suitcase was packed and his uniform was hanging up in the closet, ready for school. Sure, there were four days until classes started; but Wendla Bergmann wanted to be ready.

Wendla was incredibly excited and nervous about the coming year; as it would be his first time boarding at Saint Sheik's, the local catholic school which resided about 3 miles out of town. It was a strange school, as both boys and girls attended (albeit in separate sections of the grounds). However, most of the children in Wendla's town did not board there, for two reasons: a) it was incredibly expensive for those who were not forced to stay there*; and b) because it was easy enough for the children to walk there from their homes.

'It's not that I minded the walk to and from school everyday ', Wendla thought as he ran the brush through his dark brown hair for the hundredth time, 'and it's not like I'll never see my parents; that's what weekends are for.' He gazed into his mirror with glimmering brown eyes; 'Maybe it's my fear of the unknown that is making me nervous.'

He turned away from his mirror to check that he had everything packed. He needed to move his clothes and other possessions to his new home at the school tomorrow. When he was certain that he had everything he needed, he clambered into his bed. He tried to simply drift off to sleep, but it seemed impossible; he was just too damn nervous and excited. He was about to climb out of bed when he began to sing absent-mindedly to absolutely nobody in particular:

_Mama who bore me  
Mama who gave me  
No way to handle things  
Who made me so sad_

_Mama, the weeping  
Mama, the angels  
No sleep in Heaven, or Bethlehem  
_

His mind turned to his own mother as he continued to sing:

_  
Some pray that one day  
Christ will come a'-callin'  
They light a candle  
And hope that it glows  
And some just lie there  
Crying for him to come and find them  
But when he comes they don't know how to go_

_Mama who bore me  
Mama who gave me  
No way to handle things  
Who made me so bad_

_Mama, the weeping  
Mama, the angels  
No sleep in Heaven, or Bethlehem_

The song steadied his nerves and his excitement somewhat; and he eventually drifted off to sleep.

* Forced to- under section 452 of the Saint Sheik's school charter, the pupils of the two upper classes must board at the school (the cost is quite cheap compared to those who board at the school by choice).

**Author's note: This is my first Spring Awakening fic... as I have mentioned before (and probably will mention again). I know that there will be some who disapprove of my story, but this has plagued my dreams for the last week; and it will not let me rest until I am finished. Please feel free to criticize my work, as I am always ready to improve. The other characters won't appear until about chapter 3, so please bear with me.**


	2. An awkward conversation

Disclaimer: I tried to sell my soul to own Spring Awakening, but my plan failed when I realised that I had already sold it for a donut. Therefore: Spring Awakening is not mine.

**Author's note: I will change my disclaimer message every now and then, normally around every four chapters.  
And also, the style of the story may change from chapter to chapter; but it's just the way that this story is playing in my head.  
Finally, you will notice in this chapter that Wendla's mother really is his mother. That is because I have decided to keep the adults as they are... gender-wise. (A thousand apologies to Georg fans... I am not changing **_**Fraulein **_**Grossebustenhalter to Herr.)**

**Chapter 2: An Awkward Conversation (aka. The question of the Stork)**

Wendla's dream was a play by play of a very awkward conversation that he had with his mother earlier on that day.

_In the early morning; Wendla was packing his school books into a trunk when his mother burst into his bedroom, an enormous smile lighting her entire face._

"_WENDLA!" she shouted, surely waking up the entire neighbourhood with her excitement. He even mentioned that much to her._

"_Mama, I think that you just woke the entire street with your shouting." She closed her mouth (she was about to say something), but she was still beaming. "That's better mama."_

"_I'm sorry Wendla, but I have some incredible news." She paused for dramatic effect; a trait that she had; and it drove Wendla mad. He was just about to ask her what it was when she continued..._

"_The stork visited your sister last night. Brought her another baby girl."_

_Wendla smiled broadly; he had been waiting for his sister Katherine to have another child and he couldn't believe that it had finally happened. He began to rush around, thinking of so many things at once. "I'll have to go and see her. Can you make sure that dad can finish packing my books? I don't have any flowers to congratulate her with." His mind was running at a mile a minute, but his mother calmed him down._

"_There are flowers in the kitchen all ready for you to take to Katherine. Your father has already agreed to finish packing the rest of your things for school, and you can visit your sister when you have brushed your hair." She was about to tell him about the flowers she had purchased from the florist; when she noticed that her son no longer looked excited, but thoughtful. "Wendla?"_

"_Mama, I am now an uncle for the second time; but for the life of me, I cannot even begin to comprehend how it happens." He faltered when he saw the look of utter shock on his mother's face, but managed to continue. "I know that it is a shameful question and a sensitive subject. I also know that it really is not my place to ask you, but father has refused to tell me. There really is no one left to ask but you."_

_Wendla gazed at his mother carefully; he knew that he had been forward, but he didn't think that he would shock his mother this much. She had not moved at all during his little speech, and looked like she wouldn't be able to say anything even if she tried. It came as a surprise when she managed to say "Just go and see your sister. I really can't believe that you think that I c-"_

_Wendla cut her off; "I really can't believe that you think that I still believe in the Stork." He knew that he had hurt his mother with those words, but it was the truth; he hadn't believed in the stork since Katherine gave birth to Heidi-Marie (he had heard the term 'gave birth' from a conversation between his father and Herr Stiefel)._

_Frau Bergmann was conflicted... She knew that her son was growing up and becoming a man. However, she also knew that there would be no easy way to explain the ways of the body. "I'm sorry Wendla, but it really is not my place to tell you. There is a distinct difference between the man and woman, which makes the logistics of the situation incredibly difficult to explain. You should trust your father; he will tell you when he feels that you are ready."_

_Wendla knew that his mother was right; as he was aware of the differences between men and women He was just about to drop the subject completely, when he was struck with a thought._

"_Why don't you tell me what you told Katherine?" He waited for his mother's reaction, which was a look of complete confusion, before he continued; "I know that there are some differences, but surely there are some things that both men and women need to know about the subject of children. There may be some details that I don't need to know, but you can always keep those parts out; and anything that you can't tell me can wait until dad feels that I'm ready. "_

_She had to admit, he was a strange one. This proposal was the strangest thing that she had ever heard. But she had to admit that it was fair. His mother slowly nodded. "Very well. I'll tell you exactly what I told Katherine."_

_Wendla smiled and rushed to hug his mother, but he was promptly stopped by one of his shirts (he had left it unpacked on purpose; he was going to wear it the next day) being placed over his face. He was about to speak in protest, but his mother beat him to the punch. "I need to imagine that you are Katherine... otherwise I won't be able to say the words."_

_He sighed; trust his mother to think of blindfolding him. His sigh turned into a grunt when his mother dragged him across the room and sat him down on a hard surface (he guessed that it was one of his travelling cases). He soon felt his mothers dress brushing against him as she sat down beside him._

_Even though Wendla was blindfolded, his mother still struggled to find the right words to say. To talk to a child about the facts of life is difficult; but to talk to a child of the opposite gender makes the situation more difficult than ever. She began to stumble over possible ways to explain it; from the most difficult explanation, to the simplest (and most cowardly) way._

_She chose the cowardly way._

"_In order for a woman to bear a child..." she still stumbled over the words; heaven knows if he would believe her "... a woman must be in love with her husband. She must love that man in a way that she can love no other man." Stopping again, she carefully took the shirt from her son's head. She decided to put the situation as delicately as possible, and said simply:_

"_She must love her husband with her whole heart."_

_Wendla looked at his mother, surprised. She smiled at him. "Now I have told you everything."_

_He smiled back at his mother; she had been so brave in telling him. "Everything?"_

"_Yes... everything. Now go and visit your sister."_


	3. Arriving: Teachers, Martha, Ernst

Disclaimer: I tried to sell my soul to own Spring Awakening, but my plan failed when I realised that I had already sold it for a donut. Therefore: Spring Awakening is not mine.

**Author's note: A map of the grounds of Saint Sheik's can be found on my profile.  
This **_**chapter**_** is longer than I had originally anticipated, but I really wanted to introduce some of the other characters. It took several rewrites to complete this; and it will be about **_**two or three parts **_**long.  
It covers two of the teachers and all of the students. A change of disclaimer will occur in the next part of this chapter.**

**Chapter 3: Arriving at Saint Sheik's**

Sonnenstitch**  
**The hallways of Saint Sheik's were blissfully quiet, but Herr Gregor Sonnenstitch knew that this would not last for much longer. The pupils would begin to arrive soon, and after that there would be no peace until the next summer; so he was trying to make the most of the quiet time that remained.

He pulled out his book of Virgil and tried to figure out the first assignments for his classes, but there was something that was nagging at him. The uncomfortable feeling of the unknown future seemed heavier than usual this year. He closed his book and looked out of the window in his quarters. The woods that greeted him from outside the window seemed to reverberate with the heavy feelings inside him.

_This year is going to be a bad one... I just know it. Something bad is going to happen, and there is nothing that I can do to stop it._

Grossebustenhalter  
Fraulein Grossebustenhalter had thought that the sinful thoughts were gone...

She had some peace during the summer, free from shameful thoughts about her _favourite_ young pupil: Georg Zirschnitz. There were no dreams of her star pupil playing the piano so beautifully that it made her want to cry; no dreams of her shy green eyes and soft black hair; definitely no dreams of the silky white skin that seemed like it was meant to be touched. The dreams had driven her crazy with desire, but she was glad to be rid of them.

But Georg was going to return to school today, and the dreams had returned as suddenly as they left; more vivid and disturbing than ever.

_This year is going to be a bad one... I just know it. I don't think that I will be able to control myself much longer._

Martha  
_How on earth am I going to explain this one? _Martha Bessel inwardly scoffed as he gazed at his reflection in the mirror.

His dark brown complexion was not dark enough to hide the enormous bruise that covered his left eye. The blue and purple colour of the bruise winked at him in the early morning light; serving as a constant reminder of the injustice that he suffered at the hands of his father.

He continued to stare at himself in the mirror. The bruise wasn't the only thing to worry about... Martha could not open his left eye due to a large amount of swelling that served as a companion to his bruising. He sighed; the glittering hazel of his right eye seemed dull without its pair.

Martha desperately wanted to take his long black hair out of its tight braid to cover the bruise; but he knew that his parents would never allow it. He kept his hair as it is; he didn't want to go to school with two black eyes.

"I fell over and hit a doorknob." Martha said to his reflection; hoping that his friends and teachers would believe his sorry excuse.

Martha was secretly glad to be leaving his home to board at Saint Sheik's. He would be around his friends and teachers all of the time, and he would only see his parents on the weekends and holidays. This meant that times would get easier for him: less time cowering in a corner away from his father's rough punches; less time worrying about explaining cuts and bruises to his friends; less time crying in his bad after his mother's latest sinful display. He was grateful for leaving his home; and, even though he was walking, he was glad that he would not take the journey with his parents.

Martha gave his reflection a small smile before leaving his mirror and his old life behind. Carrying his two trunks, he walked to school with a heart so light that it seemed to make the trunks weightless.

_This year is going to be a good one... I just know it. They won't be able to hurt me where I am going._

Ernst  
_Did they really deserve that kind of punishment?_

The small form of young Ernst Robel was hidden by the many layers of her frilly blue Sunday dress ("you need to look your absolute best for your friends" Frau Robel had told her). It served as the perfect camouflage to listen to her parents' conversation.

Herr and Frau Robel were talking about a pair of boys who were caught in a barn just outside Müssen (the closest town to their own). The boys were caught doing something that Ernst knew was sinful; but she felt that the crime did not merit the punishment that they were given: The boys were taken to the town square (completely naked no less), and hung right then and there.

Frau Robel thought that the townspeople were right to execute those boys, but Herr Robel thought that the children should have at least had a chance to explain themselves. The two had been arguing their points of view for some time, and it was just about to escalate to a full-on shouting match, when they realised that their lovely daughter was in the back of the cart... listening to every word that they said. She knew that the divorce of her parents was inevitable... and surely this was the big lead up to that event.

"Ernst?" Herr Robel called softly, as if afraid that he would frighten the fragile young thing.

"Yes father?" She replied, keeping her eyes hidden by her loose black hair.

"You know that we both love you, right?" _That was the announcement... they're getting divorced while I am at school. I deserve a bit more explanation than that!_

"Of course... father." She dared to show her eyes to her father as she gave a small, sad smile.

Ernst sadly turned her silvery grey eyes back down to the bible that she held open before her, and her parents left her to 'absorb the knowledge of divorce'; but her mind was really focused on the fate of the two boys...

_Is it truly a crime for two people, such as they were, to pursue a matter of the heart? Is it truly a sin to love another person... disregarding age, rank or gender? _

**A/N (again): I have decided to make Ernst a bit more angst-y than normal... it may make no sense now, but believe me it will later.  
Divorce was not common practice in the western world (Europe, America, etc.) until recent times, the 20****th**** century; so Ernst's parents were undertaking an uncommon practice in getting divorced.  
Also... a bit of trivia: the town name that I used (Müssen) is actually German for 'must'.**  



	4. Arriving: Anna, Thea, Georg, Otto

Disclaimer: I only own Spring Awakening in La-La Land... this is not La-La Land.

**Author's note: A map of the grounds of Saint Sheik's can be found on my profile.  
This is part 2 of my 'Arriving' chapter... this chapter will include Otto, Georg, Anna and Thea.  
I made up Thea and Anna's last names... because I don't know what they are in the play. If anybody knows what they are, please let me know so I can change them.  
Ilse is not a student... as you will find out.**

**Chapter 3: Arriving at Saint Sheik's**

Otto  
_Mama, I don't want to go..._

Otto Lammermeier was definitely not looking forward to boarding at school. The pale skinned young girl felt that she would not fit in with her peers in such an environment. The taunting from the older girls was bad enough when she was not boarding there; with her slightly chubby figure, curly black hair and sky blue eyes. It was sure to get worse this year, with the possibility of her friends joining in on their taunts.

She truly felt that she would be better off staying at home with her mama and papa, as they truly knew how to care for her. Another fear of hers was that the teachers would fail to care for her if she ever became ill. Her parents had reassured her that nurse Gschossmann was more than qualified to care for the students, but it didn't help much.

_I really don't want to go mama... please don't make me go!_

Thea and Anna  
"Do you know what the whisper is? They say that his father was abusing him... _morally_." Thea Hendershot was gossiping with his best friend Anna Feuerle about their old friend; Ilse Neumann (Ilse had been kicked out of home after reporting that his father beat him regularly).

The pair were riding to Saint Sheik's in the same cart; it was easier for their parents that way since they lived next door to one another. The two were polar opposites... Anna was slightly timid, with short brown hair and grey eyes; whereas Thea was known as the gossip of the group, and with his wide green eyes he wasn't likely to miss much. Yet, no matter how different they were; they had been inseparable since they were both 6 years old.

"I don't understand you Thea" Anna said. Anna was telling the truth, he had not been feeling the 'urges' that other boys his age had and his parents had not explained anything to him. Thea on the other hand knew exactly what he was talking about; he had been feeling the urges for about a month.

_This is going to take a while... _Thea thought as he began to explain 'the birds and the bees' to Anna; making sure not to raise his voice too high in fear that the adults might hear.

Georg  
_Remember to restrain yourself..._

Georg Zirschnitz was worried about returning to school... and for good reason. The summer had plagued her with haunting dreams of her stern and well endowed piano teacher.

The dreams got so bad that she began to neglect her piano assignments; for fear that she would daydream while her fingers delicately floated over the keys. Her neglect of her holiday assignments was surely going to get her into trouble with the fraulein, and it frightened her that a small part of her soul didn't care.

_I will not let a sinful lust get the better of me! I must not! _She thought to herself half-heartedly as she slowly made her way to school with her father.

**Author's note: Apologies for taking so long to update with this part, but I have been incredibly busy. Expect the conclusion of chapter three in the next few days. Ch. 3, pt. 3 will include Melchior, Moritz, Hanschen and Wendla.**


	5. From the Author!

To All My Readers,

I am SO SORRY for not posting anything at all in this long period of time... But Illness, school and work have kept me from doing anything creative!

It pains me to see how my stories have drifted into nothingness, but I shall start writing again with a new enthusiasm!

For my Repo drabble fans: Luigi will be posted either by the end of this week or the beginning of next week. Shilo will soon follow!

For Dead (nathan's early repo days) fans: I am already working on a new chapter, and I hope to post it by Wednesday!

For fans of my Spring Awakening fic "the Boarding School": I will begin to write a new chapter next week! So it will be up soon! Also, if anybody has any ideas for alternate names for the characters; it would be greatly appreciated if you could send them to me (through review or message), so I can change the names to something less confusing for everybody! :)

Much love to everybody,

DeadMissMarni


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